Fuel Economy & Toll Roads: Using One Problem To Solve Another
January 15th, 2008 Posted in Fuel, James Baxter, Toll Roads
By NMA President, James Baxter
In the February issue of Car and Driver Magazine there were two articles that, in their own way dovetailed together to answer a question no one is asking, but perhaps they should be.
Csaba Csere, Editor-In-Chief, started out with a lament on the futility and pointlessness of the new federal Corporate Fuel Economy law. This is the political answer to reducing energy consumption and as Csaba points out, changing fuel economy standards does not change fuel economy.
Cutting to the chase; in the short and mid term the only way fuel consumption will be reduced is if we consumers change how we use this fuel. We can drive smaller and/or lower powered vehicles or we can drive less. Sure, there will be small improvements around the edges in terms of improved power plants and different fuels, but these techno fixes will not turn a 6000 pound SUV into a fuel sipper.
As far as driving less, it has never been our first (or second or third) choice.
The universal “motivator” and “attitude adjuster” is money. As fuel costs increase motorists look for ways to lower those costs; i.e. buying a more efficient vehicle. The cost of motor fuels will naturally increase if demand crowds supply; the prominent reason for today’s three plus dollars a gallon cost.
The other way to increase fuel costs and thereby reduce consumption is the European approach, levy an onerous tax on gasoline and diesel fuel. Mr. Csere indicates some sympathy for raising taxes with the caveat that they be raised on all energy sources, given that transportation only accounts for 20 percent of energy consumption.
Normally, this is where we would part company. Giving the government more money has one guaranteed result; we get more government. We don’t need more government anymore than we need more foreign adventures, more IRS regulations, or more traffic laws.
But, then came Editor at Large Pat Bedard’s editorial on toll roads.
Pat described how our benevolent governments climb in bed with toll road operators to maximize toll road profits. This is primarily accomplished by making sure that the “free roads” (the roads we motorists have already paid for) are sufficiently crippled with poor maintenance, detours, traffic lights and lowered speed limits such that they cannot be a viable alternative to the toll road system.
These humanitarian gestures take the form of “no compete” agreements that effectively give the toll road operators a monopoly on functional transportation—all competitive public highways are rendered dysfunctional.
The bottom line is that toll roads and effectively managed public roads cannot coexist. The traveling public is ill served by those attempts to blend the two together. Don’t get me wrong; if some corporation wants to build a private highway absent government involvement, regulation, and support, go for it.
However, toll roads, as we know them, are reeking with government involvement, regulation, and support. There’s just no real public accountability.
Then it hit me; over in the Blue corner is Csaba Csere wanting to tax motorists to curtail fuel consumption, and in the Red corner is Pat Bedard railing against the perversions of toll roads and their handmaidens in government.
Here’s the answer to the question that hasn’t been asked: Significantly increase the fuel tax and apply the money to paying off all the toll roads and converting them to freeways. Use some more of that money to:
- Fix the roads that were destroyed to make the toll roads more profitable.
- Retime and synchronize traffic signal systems so they move traffic.
- Fully fund the traffic court system so the judges won’t feel quite so compelled to view traffic tickets as a profit center.
This is starting to sound like a “win win” situation!
Other Related Articles
- Why Haven’t Toll Road Charges Been Reduced?
- EZ-Pass Or EZ-Cash? Why Toll Roads Are A Bad Idea
- Funding Our Highways
- Tired Of High Gas Prices? Don’t Ask The Government For Help
- Watch Your Wallet When Driving Through These 10 States
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FOLKS,
ISN’T IT AMAZING HOW ANY SOLUTION TO JUST ABOUT ANY PROBLEM GOVERNMENT HAS RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS BEGINS WITH A LAMENT VIS A VIS INSUFFICIENT FUNDS TO ACCOMPLISH AN OBJECTIVE AND ENDS WITH THE SUGGESTION THAT INCREASED EXTRACTION OF MONEY FROM THE ALREADY BESIEGED TAXPAYER WILL RESOLVE AN ISSUE. I WOULD SAY: “FINE, MAKE IT SO. TAKE THE MONEY.” IF IT WERE ONLY THE CASE THAT THIS KIND OF THINKING HAD PREVIOUSLY LED TO SOLUTIONS THAT WORKED. HOWEVER, IT IS RARELY THE CASE THAT THIS IS SO.
DISAGREE ?? OK, GIVE ME A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF GOVERNMENT SUCKING ADDITIONAL SAP OUT OF OUR ALREADY FLEA BITTEN WALLETS THAT RESULTED IN A REAL SOLUTION TO A REAL PROBLEM ?? PERSONALLY, I CAN’T THINK OF ANY. ONE COULD MAYBE EXTRAPOLATE CREATIVELY FROM A PAST SCENARIO SUCH THAT SOME OBSERVED IMPROVEMENT COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO AN INFLUX OF TAX OR FEE DOLLARS. HOWEVER, I’M PRETTY SURE “OBSERV(ING) IMPROVEMENT” WOULD BE AN EXERCISE IN IMAGINATION STRETCHING.
THE REALITY IS THAT GOVERNMENT EXTRACTION OF CITIZEN FUNDS RARELY IMPROVES OR RESOLVES MUCH,IF ANYTHING. WHY WOULD WE THINK THAT AN INHERENTLY CORRUPT GOVERNMENT SANCTIONED AND ASSISTED PRIVATIZATION WOULD REALLY HELP ANYBODY ?? WHY WOULD WE THINK THAT INCREASED TAX EXTRACTION FROM OUR CITIZENRY WOULD EVER DO ANY REAL GOOD ??
FACE IT PEOPLE. THE COUNTRY IS ILL. MONEY IS SIMPLY THE WORKING FLUID OF THE MALIGNANCY. NONE OF THE STRATEGIES MENTIONED WILL YIELD ANY IMPROVEMENT UNLESS THOSE CHARGED WITH SOLVING THE PROBLEM(S)ARE NOT POSITIONED AT THE NEXUS OF MONEY AND IMPLEMENTATION AND TRULY HAVE OUR INTERESTS AT HEART. HOWEVER,OBSERVABLY,THEY SIMPLY DON’T.
RICK GOLD
Rick, you really need to get your caps lock key fixed. I know you think it’s cool and better, but it’s not.
Here’s Rick’s post again, converted to “sentence case” in Word.
Best regards,
-Dan
Folks,
Isn’t it amazing how any solution to just about any problem government has responsibility to address begins with a lament vis a vis insufficient funds to accomplish an objective and ends with the suggestion that increased extraction of money from the already besieged taxpayer will resolve an issue. I would say: “fine, make it so. Take the money.” If it were only the case that this kind of thinking had previously led to solutions that worked. However, it is rarely the case that this is so.
Disagree ?? Ok, give me a couple of examples of government sucking additional sap out of our already flea bitten wallets that resulted in a real solution to a real problem ?? Personally, i can’t think of any. One could maybe extrapolate creatively from a past scenario such that some observed improvement could be attributed to an influx of tax or fee dollars. However, i’m pretty sure “observ(ing) improvement” would be an exercise in imagination stretching.
The reality is that government extraction of citizen funds rarely improves or resolves much,if anything. Why would we think that an inherently corrupt government sanctioned and assisted privatization would really help anybody ?? Why would we think that increased tax extraction from our citizenry would ever do any real good ??
Face it people. The country is ill. Money is simply the working fluid of the malignancy. None of the strategies mentioned will yield any improvement unless those charged with solving the problem(s)are not positioned at the nexus of money and implementation and truly have our interests at heart. However,observably,they simply don’t.
Rick Gold
DAN,
THANKS FOR THE INPUT AND THE REWRITE.
HOWEVER, I THINK ALL CAPS ARE NEITHER “COOL” NOR NECESSARILY “BETTER”. THEY ARE,HOWEVER, FASTER TO TYPE AND EASIER TO READ FOR US OLD CLUCKS WITHOUT OUR GLASSES.
MOREOVER, FOR SOME ODD REASON, IT IS ON THIS BLOG ONLY, THAT ANYONE HAS EVER MENTIONED ALL CAPS AS A PROBLEM.
ABOVE SAID, I’LL TAKE YOUR SUGGESTION UNDER ADVISEMENT.
THANKS.
RICK GOLD